, 1887-12-17
roaEsr POLICY oe JAPAN.
A DnVnrinn Invited to Direct 1t-Prcp-
nration for a Timber Supply.

scholarly gentleman IN tnO NlBOr OF carly
manhood passed through this city on an
important mission to Japan, where he is
TO give Instruction in the science and
practice Of forestry as known in the best
schools of Europe, and to direct to n Ger
tain extent the forest policy of the en-
pire, Or. Heinrich Mayr is n forest Off
Ger of the Bavarian government and lee
turcr on s~ylviculture in the University of
Munich. Two years ago he crossed the
United States through the Lake region
and the northwest to Oregon, and now
he proposes to study the southern forests,
going through the Allegheny region and
crossing Texas to California. This is in
preparation for n report to his govern
ment on American forests. From San
Francisco he will sail to Japan, where he
will he professor of s~ylviculture and
forest botany in the University of Toxic,
besides taking charge of the actual forest
work of the empire during an extended
leave of absence from his post in Bavaria.
In reply to some inquiries by n reporter
DIR. Mayr said that although there was
abundant timber in Japan and n wonder
full richness i'll arborescent species when
compared with the sylvia of Europe, still
serious inroads had been made upon the
forest wealth of the empire. During the
civil war many forests owned by the
daimios were destroyed, and the govern
ment intended to restore them. Besides
this many Of the mountain slopes, al
though thickly wooded, were clothed
with species not esteemed valuable.
There are vast stretches of beechwoods,
tho trees being apparently identical
~botanically with the European beech, al
IT, Ugh the wood is lighter in color.
Beech is considered n useful wood in
Europe, but there are many better kinds
in Japan, and the government proposes
to substitute some of these for the in
ferior species.
Notable among the valuable timber
trees is the cryptomesia, a confer, speci-
mems of which are not rare in the orna
mental plantations of this country. "A
few of them are growing in the Ranble
Of Central Park. This tree is closely
allied to the American sequoias, the red
WOOD and the big trees. When n ~traveler
fresh from the Sierras first sees n forest
Of cryptomesia he will havo no other
thought than that they arc identical with
tho American trees. They have, too, all
the good qualities of redwood-light,
straight grained, easily worked, durable.
Besides these a species of p%lanera, some
of the oaks and perhaps some other de-
ciduous trees will be used to supplant the
beech. 1t will be a delicate undertaking
to make such n sweeping transformation
in the forest growth over large areas
without causing violent disturbance in
tho natural forces which have beer adj
justing themselves into balance during
centuries. But the Japanese government
appreciates this and is preparing for the
work most thoroughly and cautiously.
When asked if Japan had yet suffered
any of those physical disasters which
have followed the decreasing of high
lands in other countries, DIR. Mayr said:
''Oh, yes. This preparation for n tim
Der supply is only reason for the
present interest in forestry in Japan.
The growth Of railroads opening up new
markets for forest products and means of
transporting them is an immediate occa-
sion for this sharp looking after their
by n long sighted business peo-
pie. But the country is already suffer.
ing from torrents where tho wood has
been stripped from the high slopes. The
calamity is not so serious as it is in other
parts of the world, in southeastern
France, for instance, where millions lit
orally are expended every year in an al
most hopeless struggle with devastating
floods.
But what has happened and is plainly
threatened has decided the government
to take prompt action and recover the
bare HEIGHTS. Near Kiota, for example,
within les than fifty years the forest has
been cleared from n portion of the high
mountains about the city and the result
10 too evident. The river flowing down
from this detorcGted slope, and crossing a
plain say fifteen miles to the sea, soon
began to roll down more loosened stones
and gravel and earth after the rainy sea-
son had swollen il. AS the river bed
was lifted 10y this deposit, the people, to
restrain IL from Overlooking the plains on
either side, began to build up barriers on
is banl,3. Then rs woods were
FILLED the lurrnnt became more sudden
and violent, owing 10 decreased obstruc-
tion. 1h' waterway was gradually filed
in with w.4s!inGs from the mountain,
compcllin: Another and another Cmbank-
mcnt on either side rs the bottom was
raiSsI. until now tho stream runs
bctwccu artificial hanks on the top of a
long, straight cluscway fifty feet high"
New York Tribune.